Waffle iron



March 19, 1929` Ff F, FORSHEE 1,705,727

WAFFLE IRON Filed May ll, 1927 WITNESSE z 45 45 45 INVENTOR i Frank/f/iee j Patented Mar. 19, i929.d

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

FRANK F. FORSHEE, 0F MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO 'WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRICi & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENN SYLVANTA.

'WAFFLE IRON.

Application ed May 11,

My invention relates to electrically heated appliances and particularlyto electric cooking devices.

An object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple and easilymanufactured heating unit for cooking appliances. l

lin practicing my invention l provide a strip of sheet metal having aplurality of spaced recesses along one edge thereof, refractory thimblesin said recesses and a resistor extending through the thimbles andalternately on opposite sides of the strip. A clamping and reflectorplate is secured to the strip which may be bent to substantiallycircular or polygonal shape, by means of lugs integral with the strip,which extend through openings in the plate.

ln the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a. top plan View, with portions of the device broken away, ofa. waffle iron having a heating element embodying my inventionassociated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a View in vertical section there through;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View, in side elevation, of a portion of aheating unit embodying my invention, and

Fig. 4 is a view, in front elevation, of a refractory thimble. A waffleiron 11 comprises an upper casing 12, a lower casing 13 and a basemember 14. All of these members are shown as substantially circular inshape although I do not wish to be restricted thereto.

Each of the casings `has associated therewith a waffle mold member 15'and 16, respectively, which may be made in any` manner well known inthe art. I prefer to use aluminum molds, anV outer surface of which isprovided with the projecting portions 17 usually employed in said waliiemolds, correspending recesses 18 being provided in the inner surface ofthe mold for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth.

An electrical heating unit is provided for each of the waii'le molds 15and 16 and comprises a strip 19 of relatively thin sheet meta-l which isprovided with a plurality of spaced recesses 21 along one edge thereofsubstan` tially as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Refractory thimbles 22 having an opening 23 therethrough are located inthe respect-ive recesses 21. The thimbles are not described in furtherdetail as they are disclosed and claimed in my copending applicationSerial 1927. Serial No. 190,452.

No. 188,447, filed May 3, 1927, and assigned to the WestinghouseElectric & Manufacturing Company. A. helically wound resistor wire 24 isprovided and extends through the openings 23 in spaced adjacentthimbles, extending alternately on opposite sides of the strip 19 asshown more particularly in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

rllhe strip 19 is provided with a plurality of integral lugs 25, whichextend through-openings 26 in a clamping and reflecting plate 27. Theopenings 26 are so located in the plate 27 as to receive the lugs 25after the strip 19 has had the thimbles and the resistor mounted thereonand the strip has been bent to either circular or polygonal shape. lhave shown a substantially circular heating unit, the diamu eter ofwhich has a definite `relation to the diameter of the waile mold withwhich it is operatively associated, as will be hereinafter set forth indetail. The lugs 25 are bent over against the outer surface of the plate27 whereby the strip 19 is held in its proper operative position and inthe form shown more particularly in F ig. 1 of the drawing.

Each of the plates 27 is provided with a central depression 28, eachdepression having located therein a nut 29 mounted on a stud 31, theinner end of which is in screw-threaded engagement with a central lug 32on the rear surface of and constituting an integral part of the walliemold. The nut 29 is tightened down to such an extent that the heatingunit and more particularly the unbroken edge of the strip 19 is tightlyclamped and pressed against the rear face of the waffle mold. The plate27 is made of relatively thin sheet metal so that it is resilient andpermits expansion and contraction of the strip 19 during repeatedoperations of the Waflle iron.

The stud 31 extends through a suitable cen tral opening in the casingand an ornamental nut 33 is screwed on the outer end of the stud tosecurely hold the waliie mold against the rim portion of the casing withwhich it is operatively associated.

Suitable terminal members 34 are provided for the two ends `of eachheating unit and are insulatedly mounted on the adjacent ends of thestrip 19 by. :screws 35 and a plurality of cooperating nuts 36. A hingemember 37 is provided and is of any desired construction to permit ofpivotally mounting the upper casing on 4the lower casino, theconstruction-of the hinge members being such lll as to permit ofconnecting conductors 38 eX- tending therethrough. The conductors 38 arelocated in a flexible armored conduit 39 to protect the conductors.Suitable connection is made between the respective terminals of the twoheating units, the connection conductors 38 and a plurality of terminalpins 41 (see Fig. l) which are insulatedly mounted on either the lowercasing 13 or on the hollow base 14 as may be found desirable.

A knob 42 is located on the upper casing 12 to permit of raising andlowering the upper casing, and carrying members 43 and 44 are mounted onthe lower casing to permit of carrying the waffle iron. I-Ieatinsulating supporting members 45 are secured to the lower edge of thebase 14 and extend downwardly therefrom to support the base away fromthe surface of a. table.

The inner surface of the plate 27 is preferably made bright or ispolished in order that it may act as a reflector for the resistor wire24 whenthe same is energized in the usual manner. As the mass of theheating unit embodying the resistor wire, the refractory thimbles 22,strip 19 and the refractory strip 27 is relatively sniall, but littleheat will be stored therein and as soon as the resistor wire 24 has beenheated to a bright red heat or above, heat will be radiated against therear surface of the waiiie iron and against the inner surface of theplate 2'? from which it willbe refiected back to the wailie mold. Thediameter of the substantially circular heating unit is such relativelyto the diameter of the waliie mold that the latter will be uniformlyheated thereby so that a walie baked thereby will be baked uniformlyover its entire surface.

In order to increase the area of the heatreceiving surface of the waiilemold I provide the depressions 18 hereinbefore1 mentioned, any suitableor desired Anumber of these being provided.

The device embodying my invention thus provides a relatively simple andeasily manufactured and assembled radiant heating unit for an electriccooking device. I/hile I have shown and described such a heating unit asapplied to a waflie iron, I do not desire to be limited thereto as it isapplicable to any electrical heat cooking device embodying a baking orcooking member or surface.

Various modifications may be made in the device embodying my inventionwithout departing from the spirit and scope thereof and I desire thatonly such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by theprior art or are set forth in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A heating unit for an appliance having a baking surface, said heatingunit comprising a bent-omedge metal strip having a plurality of spacedrecesses along one edge thereof, refractory thimbles in said recesses, aresistor member extending through and supported by said thimbles, asheet-metal plate operatively engaging the recessed edge of the stripand interlitting therewith to hold the stripin apredetern'lined shapeand extending therebeyond to constitute a reiiector for the resistormember, and a bolt extending through the plate and the baking surfacefor holding the strip tightly against the rear of the baking surface.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 29th dayof April, 1927.

- FRANK F. FORSHEE.

